Mdou Moctar released The Niger EP Vol. 1 today. The Tuareg guitarist previewed the collection with a visualizer video for an alternate take on “Chismiten” off the 2021 album, Afrique Victime.
The Niger EP Vol. 1 contains six alternate and live tracks all recorded in the home country of bandleader and lead guitarist Mdou Moctar (Mahamadou Souleymane). These include a previously unreleased, 13-minute electric guitar and drum machine rendering of the live staple “Imouhar” and more.
Mdou Moctar is Souleymane, rhythm guitarist Ahmoudou Madassane, drummer Souleymane Ibrahim and bassist Mikey Coltun. Coltun further detailed the compilation:
“In 2021, we started the Mdou Moctar mixtape series. These releases compiled field recordings, cell phone voice memos, interview clips, conversations captured in the tour van, and blown-out board recordings from shows all over the world. As a continuation of those mixtapes, we present the Niger EPs, which examine the roots of the Mdou Moctar band. Early Mdou recordings were contained on cassettes, though the humble tape was soon replaced by the quick and easy facility of cell phone technology. Long bus rides are common in West Africa. On one of these rides, you might be seated next to a stranger and ask, “What are you listening to?” Then a song exchange would begin over Bluetooth. This is a very real way artists found their music distributed far from home. In that vein, the Niger EP series features solely recordings taped in Mdou Moctar’s home country of Niger. Volume 1 begin the series with a mix of recordings from 2017-2020, documenting the band at weddings, picnics, rehearsals, and even impromptu house concerts. A must have for any Mdou Moctar fan!”
Preview The Niger EP Vol. 1 with the visualizer video for “Chismiten (Drum Machine Version)” and stream the whole collection below:
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Chismiten (Drum Machine Version)
The Niger EP Vol. 1 Tracklist:
- Imouhar (Drum Machine Version)
- Chismiten (Drum Machine Version)
- Sibidoul (Live)
- Afelan (Live)
- Layla (Live)
- Afrique Victime (Live)
